All the Right Notes: Everblue

 Here on "All the Right Notes," I have mostly reviewed TV shows, with an occasional movie and book.  I have wanted, however, to review a webcomic or graphic novel for awhile now.  Webcomics and graphic novels are one of my favorite media to tell stories in because they are a perfect combination of art and writing.  So now seems as good a time as any to shift my focus onto one of my favorite webcomics, Everblue by Michael Sexton.

In any form of storytelling, atmosphere is absolutely essential.  In straight writing, atmosphere is achieved through writing style and word choice.  In movies and TV shows, however, atmosphere can be established through lighting and color palettes that create certain moods for the audience.  Though webcomics can create atmosphere through dialogue or writing, they are more similar to film in that their mood tones rely mostly on colors, lighting, and frame composition (where the camera is positioned in the scene).

Michael Sexton's webcomic Everblue is a beautiful example of the power color and lighting can have on atmosphere in graphic novels.

For a more detailed analysis of Everblue, check out the rest of the review after the break!

I first stumbled upon Everblue within its first two chapters, and back then the comic's style was very different than it is now.  It was less detailed and drawn entirely in gray scale.  It did not take long, however, for Sexton's beautiful style to grow far beyond the simple first chapter, and soon he was adding the color and detail that make the comic stand out from almost any other on-line graphic novel.

For this review, I'm going to select a few pages from Everblue that I think particularly show Sexton's incredible ability for color and lighting, and discuss that page in detail.  So, onto the first pages!

The first few pages of Chapter 1 are very simple.  They are establishing shots, showing Luna (the protagonist pictured here), the home she lives in, and her work as you might see it on any normal day in her life.  The camera shows beautiful panning shots of the city around Luna and her house, while also coming in to focus on Luna herself and her work.

These particular pages are 5 and 2, respectively.  Notice the clean, bright colors Sexton uses.  Everything is lit up and very clear for the audience.  The shadows are hardly noticeable, and the highlights are bright.  The pure colors give the panels a very cheerful and idyllic tone.  The audience is put at ease and carefully brought into the world of the comic and the gentle pacing of Sexton's work.

This technique can be seen in many stories, such as Peter Jackson's film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.  After the prequel in Fellowship of the Ring, the audience is introduced to Hobbiton, a place of warm colors and gentle views of the rolling countryside.  It is the status quo, the breath before the inciting incident that will change the lives of these characters forever.

Chapter 3 as a whole (pages 24 and 33 shown here) are a complete shift from Chapters 1 and 2.  The daytime lighting is replaced with overcast, rainy evening and night for the entire chapter.  While Chapters 1 and 2 were bright and open, the darkness of night and stormy weather casts deep and dramatic shadows.  Suddenly the audience's view is very limited, concentrated only on the characters and their every movement.

Darkness is often associated with mystery and danger.  The last of the light that might almost be inviting is seen in the beginning of the chapter, but even it is offset by the cool, dark sky and the unforgiving storm.  After that, color and light are used only as absolutely necessary, creating starkness that enhances the drama of  the chapter.  The world has become a much harder and tighter place in Chapter 3, unlike the bright, open spaces in the first two chapters.

These last two pages are from Vignettes 2 and 3 (there are three short vignettes after Chapter 3, after which Chapter 4 will resume).  After the wrenching drama of Chapter 3 and the aftermath in Vignette 1, Vignettes 2 and 3 are a welcome change.  Sexton uses several different coloring and rendering techniques in the vignettes which not only slightly remove them from the heavier narrative chain of the chapters, but also complement the action of the vignettes perfectly.

Within Vignette 2 is a flashback drawn in the style of the first image.  The balance of warm and cool and the watercolor painting feel create a quiet, nostalgic tone.  There is no extreme action in these pages, only gentle and poignant dialogue that is both touching and sad, which are reflected in the delicate colors and rendering of the people and backgrounds.

In Vignette 3, however, there is a bit more action between Luna and Ten (the male protagonist pictured).  Thus, the style becomes more substantial.  The colors are also much brighter, echoing the lighthearted exchanges between Luna and Ten as they fly along the sea.  The light colors and wide, open backgrounds allow the audience to breathe and feel safe for a time.  One might even think of it as wiping the slate clean for the next chapter, for who knows what new conflicts and adventures will arise then?

It was very difficult to choose individual pages to focus on.  Sexton's art is beautiful throughout the entire webcomic, and the only way to truly appreciate it is to read the novel itself.  There are few webcomic artists who use color and style to establish atmosphere and emotion as well as Sexton.  His use of color palettes, highlights, and shadows allows readers to feel peace, happiness, fear, shock, and sadness in three carefully-paced chapters.

Atmosphere and tone should be considered heavily in any medium of storytelling, as they create impact on the audience often with their even noticing it.  For a webcomic, which often has a very intimate relationship with readers, these details can be even more essential, and Michael Sexton's work in Everblue has successfully achieved them with flying colors.